Packing anchor



W. L. CHURCH PACKING ANCHOR Nov. 19, 1935.

Filed Sept. 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 19, 1935.

W. L. CHURCH PACKING ANCHOR Filed Sept. 29, 1933 2&2 1,223

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm .1 fiLl Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE Walter L. Church, Houston, Tex., assignor of onehalf to Texas Iron Works Sales Corporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application September 29, 1933, Serial No. 691,471

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a packing anchor, and has particular relation to an anchor specially designed for use in anchoring a packing in a well. i I

In the production of oil, it is common practice to set a tubular screen in the well opposite the oil bearing stratum and to then set a packer between the upper end of the screen or'liner above the screen and the surrounding casing in the well or the other walls of the well bore, so as to prevent the entrance of water into the oil bearing stratum. After the packer is set it often happens that the internal pressure in the well will force the screen upwardly thus forcing the set packer upwardly with the screen to the injury of the packer and well. It is the prime object of this invention to provide an anchor that will engage the Well casing or other walls of the well and anchor the packing and screen against any considerable upward movement after the packer is once set.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of this character that will maintain the expander expanded and at the same time will prevent any appreciable upward movement of the packer after it is set.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts an example of which is given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation partly in section of the upper end of the apparatus, showing the packer collapsed with the parts in position for lowering the packer and screen to a desired locationin a well.

Figure 2 shows a side elevation partly in section of the apparatus showing the packer set with the anchor in expanded or active position.

Figure 3 shows a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure l shows a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken on the lined-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation partly in section of a modified form of the anchor showing the packer collapsed and Figure 6 shows a side elevation partly in section of a modified form showing the packer expanded and the anchor in active position.

In the drawings, the numeral l designates the casing in a well and the numeral 2 designates the screen which is set in the well opposite the oil bearing strata. Attached to the upper end of the screen and forming a tubular'extension thereof,

there is the packer support 3, whose upper end is annularly grooved forming the downwardly pitched ratchet teeth 4.

Around the packer support there is a packer sleeve 5 which may be formed of canvas or rub- 5 berized fabric material or any other selected packing material. 'The lower end of this packer sleeve is secured to the support 3 in any suitable manner as, for example, by wire wrapping 6 and the upper end of the packer sleeve surrounds and 10 is secured to the tubular jaw anchor l which surrounds the packer support. The upper end of this jaw anchor is slotted vertically forming the separate anchor jaws 8 having gripping teeth 9 thereon, designed to engage the well casing. The 15 jaws 8 are upwardly flared internally and above them there is a coupling member l0 whose lower end is downwardly tapered to fit within the jaws 8. This coupling member ID has an internal upwardly flared annular slip seat H in which is 20 mounted the wedge shaped slips l2 whose inner sides have ratchet teeth to engage the teeth 4.

The jaws 8 and coupling l 0 are pinned together, by means of the pins l3, l4 and these last mentioned pins extend also through the packer sup- 25 port 3. These pins are capable of being sheared upon the application of a predetermined pressure thereto.

Upstanding from the coupling Hi there is a tubular setting nipple I0. 30

The apparatus may be assembled as shown in Figure 1 and attached to any conventional type of setting tool. The setting tool shown herein, is the same as that illustrated in Patent No. 1,527,209 issued on February 24, 1925, by the 35 United States PatentOflice to J eddy D. Nixon and applicant herein and a detailed description thereof is not deemed to be necessary. Generally speaking this setting tool embodies the operating string [5 to the lower end of which the 40 reducingnipple l6 is attached and attached to and depending from this reducing nipple there is the tubular mandrel l1 whose lower end is flared and externally threaded as at [8. On the mandrel ll there is a slidable sleeve I9 whose 45 threads at the upper end of the packer support, all as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

With the apparatus assembled as shown in Figure 1 the screen may be lowered into the bore through the instrumentality of the operating string l5, and the parts will be rigidly connected together so that there will be no liability of a premature expansion of the packer 5. When the screen lands on the lower end of the bore, the operating string l5 may be then turned to the right and the flared lower end of the mandrel ll screwed downwardly out of the bushing 20, permitting said bushing to contract so that the external threads thereof will clear the internal threads at the upper end of the packer support 3. The operating string l5 may then be lowered until it lands on the upper end of the setting nipple l and the weight of the string on said setting nipple will force said nipple and coupling l0 downwardly first shearing off the inner ends of the pins 114 and the setting nipple will be moved on downwardly with the string, forcing the jaw anchor l downwardly and expanding the packer 5. When the packer is fully expanded against the casing the weight of the string above will force the coupling l0 downwardly relative to the jaws 8 shearing the pins it, it and causing the lower tapered portion of the coupling ill to expand the jaws 8 as shown in Figure 2 into secure engagement with the well casing. The slips l2 will engage the teeth d to maintain the packer under compression.

Above the sleeve 99 the mandrel l? is provided with buttress threads 2i and the upper end of the sleeve I9 is formed with the yieldable dogs 22. Upon downward movement of the mandrel ii in setting the packer the teeth 2! will engage the dogs 22 and when the packer is set the.

string l5 may be pulled upwardly carrying the mandrel l! with it and as the mandrel l1 moves upwardly the sleeve l9 will also be carried along with it and the setting tool may thus be withdrawn from the well, leaving the packer securely set in expanded position. The packer will also be securely anchored relative to the casing so that in case of internal pressure in the well, the screen and packer can not be moved upwardly thereby.

In the form shown in Figures 5 and 6 the upper end of the packing 5 is secured around the lower end of the coupling 23 which coupling has the internal downwardly tapering seat II in which the slips l2 are mounted as shown in the preceding figures. In this form the tubular setting nipple indicated by the numeral 24 is attached to the upper end of the coupling 23 and has the downwardly flared expander 25 thereon and preferably integrally therewith. Fitted over the upper end of the setting nipple 24 there is an anchor sleeve 26 whose upper end projects above the upper end of the setting nipple. The lower end of this sleeve 26 is slotted vertically forming the anchor jaws 21 having the external teeth 28. These jaws are pinned to thesetting nipple 24 by means of the pins 29 which normally hold the jaws 21 out of contact with the casing, while the screen is being lowered. The lower ends of the jaws 21 are flared outwardly to correspond to the taper of the expander 25.

The apparatus may be assembled as shown in Figure 5 with the setting tool thereof, previously described connected to the upper end of the packer support 3 and as so assembled, may be let down into the well. When the screen 2 lands on the bottom of the bore, the operating string [5 may be turned to release the setting tool as hereinabove described, and the string then further lowered until it lands on the upper end of the sleeve 26 and the weight of the string will cause the pins 29 to shear and the sleeve 26 will be 5 moved on downwardly until the setting string lands on the upper end of the setting nipple 24. When the pins 29 are sheared the jaws 21 will spring outwardly into frictional engagement with the casing, but said jaws will not, have moved downwardly far enough to be expanded by the expander 25. The string l5 may then be further lowered forcing the setting nipple 24 downwardly and expanding the packer 5 tightly against the casing I as shown in Figure 6. The slips l2 will maintain the packer expanded as explained. The setting tool may then be detached and withdrawn from the well. Should the screen and packer be now elevated by internal pressure in the well, the expander 25 will be wedged up tightly within the jaws 21 as shown in Figure 6 and said jaws will be expanded into gripping relation with the casing I and the screen and packing will be thereby effectively anchored against further upward movement in the well.

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be preferred forms of the invention by way of illustration only, while the broad principle of the invention will be defined 30 by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination a screen pipe in a well; an expansible packer associated with said pipe and effective, when expanded, to form a seal between the pipe and the walls of the well; means for compressing the packer to cause the expansion thereof; said compressing means comprising an expansible wall engaging means, an expander for expanding said engaging means, a plurality of frangible elements through said engaging means and expander, one of said frangible ele- -to release the expander from the pipe and from the wall engaging means successively upon application of pressure to said compressing means to expand the packer and means to maintain the packer and wall engaging means expanded.

2. The combination with a tubular packer support adapted to be set in a well bore, of an expansible packer on said support effective when expanded to form a seal between the support and the walls of the well, means for compressing the packer to cause the expansion thereof, said compressing means comprising wall engaging means and an expander, means for attaching the wall-engaging means to the expander said compressing means being effective upon downward movement to successively expand the packer, detach said attaching means and expand the wall engaging means, and means to maintain the packer and wall engaging means expanded.

3. The combination with a tubular support adapted to be set in a well bore, of an expansible packer 0n the support, effective when expanded to form a seal between the support and the walls of the well, means for compressing the packer to cause the expansion thereof, said compressing means comprising an expansible wall engaging means, an expander for expanding said engaging means, interconnecting means for connecting said engaging means expander and support, said interconnecting means being formed to release of the well, means for compressing the packer to cause the expansion thereof, said compressing means comprising an expansibie wall engaging I 2,021,228 the compressing means from the support and to means, an expander for expanding said engaging means, interconnecting means for connecting said engaging means expander and support, said interconnecting means being formed to release the compressing means from the support and I to release the expanding from the engaging means in succession upon downward movement of the compressing means whereby the packer and wall engaging means will be successively expanded upon downward movement of the compressing 10 means, and means to maintain the packer and wall engaging means expanded.

WALTER L. CHURCH. 

